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If today you’re confidently predicting the next general election result… – politicalbetting.com

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  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,838

    MaxPB said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Wetherspoons is unfairly maligned, it provides okay meals on a budget for when people are out and about with a good pint of bitter. It saved me a lot when I was at uni on a budget and there's a lot of remainer snobbishness about it since Brexit.
    I think attitudes are slowly changing towards it, at least a bit, as the cost of restaurant meals creeps steadily upwards. It bears repeating that dining out nowadays is an expensive experience, and sometimes all people want is the ability to leave the house and sit somewhere and have food made for them and perhaps have a drink or two. Im not suggesting it’s somewhere you’d go for a treat, but it fills a gap in the market.
    Clearly fills a gap. Wetherspoons has to be easily one of the most successful start-ups of the last thirty years or so. Astonishing level of business success for all the moaning.

    At least someone seems to know how to keep pub culture alive.
    I think they are more than 30 years old.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,459

    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    Sandpit said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Wetherspoons is the McDonald’s of pubs. It’s not brilliant, but you know it’s going to be okay and you’ll get good value for money.

    In pretty much any town, the cheapest pub is always going to be a focus for those who society has mostly left behind.
    In a beer desert, such as many towns in the West of Scotland, spoons is the only place that sells a decent pint.
    I assume the beer desert extends to the far Northwest. I’m off on my long weekend to Assynt in a few days. Shall stock up on drinks at the supermarket in Inverness rather than relying on the pubs of Lochinver.
    AFAIK the nearest real ale to Lochinver is the Inchnanamph Hotel. You may wish to check this link. https://camra.org.uk/pubs
    If you’re buying beer in Inverness, I recommend Cromarty.
    Famous to anyone with an interest in geology and scenery!

    https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/January-2007/Peach-and-Horne-the-memoir-at-100
    Assynt rocks!
    That's pretty much the thrust of the matter.
    That is clearly your opinion and it would also be Moine. ;)
    That’s a gneiss comment.
    Sedimentary my dear Watson.*

    *I know it's probably not sedimentary. #geologydunce
    Don’t worry. I met a more phic poster on here earlier.
    It’s not their fault
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,644
    tlg86 said:

    Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?

    I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,644
    Labour dropped plan to ban foreign donors after Lord Alli intervened
    The party’s fundraising chief, is said to have scuppered the proposal, due to have been announced while it was in opposition

    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/starmer-received-4m-cayman-hedge-fund-dropping-ban-on-foreign-donors-7vp0mdlv8 (£££)
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061
    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    If Canada is confused about what he wants it will limit his ability to get it, so I'd question the effectiveness of the tactic if it is just a ploy.

    Plus events can easily spiral out of control when things get so emotive.

    And finally, it may be Trump is a secret genius and he acts crazy as a tactic, but it is a bit too ubiquitous and in line with his overall personality for me to think that is very plausible. It seems more likely that he means what he says, even though he frequently gets confused and contradictory on policy detail.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061

    On topic observation:

    Reform will not break the glass ceiling and achieve wider popularity as long as Farage is still a possible future PM. Indeed I would suggest this is the Reform conundrum. They need Farage to get to 25% plus but he actively stops them getting past 35% plus.

    Interesting reasoning, and I think there's something to it. Greatest strengths can also be greatest weaknesses, at least to further ambitions.

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061
    glw said:

    Taz said:

    Andrew Neil on savage form about the stupidity of Trumps tariffs.

    I get the impression this is a rare topic here as there’s near unanimity on the inherent stupidity of it.

    Blanket tariffs are perhaps only second to rent control on the list of things that almost all economists agree are a bad thing.
    Don't lots of politicians support rent controls? Doesn't sound promising.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061

    malcolmg said:

    Leon said:

    Trump is a huge Anglophile - his golf course etc

    Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English

    Vance is an old English surname

    We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home

    total bollox, nobody can deal with a llying madman.
    If Trump is such a massive Anglophile why did he buy golf courses in Scotland?
    Saves the English from having him and his rsole family around I suppose.
    Maybe he thinks the Scottish are English?
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,421

    tlg86 said:

    Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?

    I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
    I thought the heat was coming from The Sun?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,161
    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Goods will become bads?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,161
    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
  • RattersRatters Posts: 1,243
    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,644

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,421
    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110
    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Gold standardy.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,161

    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Gold standardy.
    The verdict on Starmer’s voice is in.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473

    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Gold standardy.
    The verdict on Starmer’s voice is in.
    His voice coach has spoken?
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    edited February 3
    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    Maybe he is just learning?


    At the age of fifteen Doug and Dinsdale started attending the Ernest Pythagoras Primary School in Clerkenwell. When the Piranhas left school they were called up but were found by an Army Board to be too unstable even for National Service.

    Denied the opportunity to use their talents in the service of their country, they began to operate what they called 'The Operation'... They would select a victim and then threaten to beat him up if he paid the so-called protection money.

    Four months later they started another operation which the called 'The Other Operation'. In this racket they selected another victim and threatened not to beat him up if he didn't pay them.

    One month later they hit upon 'The Other Other Operation'. In this the victim was threatened that if he didn't pay them, they would beat him up. This for the Piranha brothers was the turning point.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,644
    tlg86 said:

    tlg86 said:

    Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?

    I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
    I thought the heat was coming from The Sun?
    Maybe but I think at the time they were following not leading this story. The Mail and Indy had it.

    The voice coach was described as a key worker, which makes it legal, and Starmer is a lawyer and not a politician so that is all that matters, but as we saw with Partygate and Kormagate, he probably has a point.

    It's within the rules so he can't be brought down by procedural means. The parliamentary arithmetic means the Opposition can't touch him. It is hard to see it taking off with the public because nothing else has.

    The Times' new story about Lord Alli (posted earlier) is more interesting if it becomes a slow burner (and on the back of earlier freebies and the solar farm guy).
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,459
    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    45% for the old firm vs 55% SPLORG is almost but not quite a record.

    The right is 0.88 and the left 1.04 on the bloc disintegration ratio. Remember, 0.66 or less is the bloc event horizon.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    a
    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    Y. Pestis is probably going to make a complaint about that post.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,459
    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 18,060
    kle4 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    If Canada is confused about what he wants it will limit his ability to get it, so I'd question the effectiveness of the tactic if it is just a ploy.

    Plus events can easily spiral out of control when things get so emotive.

    And finally, it may be Trump is a secret genius and he acts crazy as a tactic, but it is a bit too ubiquitous and in line with his overall personality for me to think that is very plausible. It seems more likely that he means what he says, even though he frequently gets confused and contradictory on policy detail.
    If it were a brilliant tactic, I'd expect to have seen a payoff of Trump having a string of genuinely successful businesses behind him.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    TimS said:

    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
    It's a shame we can't join Canada. Pigeons, meet cat.
  • RattersRatters Posts: 1,243
    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    I assume Trump came from the school of thought that you should be mean to a girl you secretly like.

    What we are witnessing is high school bully tactics playing themselves out on the global political stage.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,559
    kamski said:

    IanB2 said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    How do you plan to make the bun all soggy?
    How do you recreate the pervasive smell of horse manure with a hint of vomit?
    Go on a Young Farmers pub crawl.
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 22,692
    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    You what Gov?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 18,060
    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.

    But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.

    (The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 30,584

    Luke Tryl omits to mention the elephant in the room.

    Trump 2.0 upending the world economic system makes predicting next GE even harder.

    If his madness actually works then maybe good for Reform and Farage.

    If it results in late 1920s depression then probably good for steady Starmer.

    It would be horrendous for Labour as the incumbents. Jenrick/Boris Tories on the other hand...
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    edited February 3

    malcolmg said:

    Leon said:

    Trump is a huge Anglophile - his golf course etc

    Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English

    Vance is an old English surname

    We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home

    total bollox, nobody can deal with a llying madman.
    If Trump is such a massive Anglophile why did he buy golf courses in Scotland?
    Saves the English from having him and his rsole family around I suppose.
    It's Scotland's fault that he's triggered by windmills.

    They built a whole farm of them next to his golf course.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-47400641
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    TimS said:

    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
    CANDU reactors make Tritium in hilarious quantities...
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 30,584

    Would be ironic if Starmer gets brought down over this.

    https://x.com/mrharrycole/status/1886458600178036793

    SIR Keir Starmer beat a hasty retreat from questions over claims his voice coach broke the law to train him during lockdown.

    Confronted by The Sun in Brussels, the PM said "of course not" when asked if he had broken the rules but quickly exited a NATO press conference to avoid further scrutiny.

    He muttered "all the rules were followed" as he made for the door amid a barrage of questions from journalists.

    Of course he wasn't ambushed by a cake. he was ambushed by a Pincher.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination?
    And people wonder why there is a backlash.
    This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
  • So Keir could have a voice coaching key worker while other people were banned from going to family funerals, and he voted to extend this state of affairs every single time
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,074
    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Wetherspoons is unfairly maligned, it provides okay meals on a budget for when people are out and about with a good pint of bitter. It saved me a lot when I was at uni on a budget and there's a lot of remainer snobbishness about it since Brexit.
    I think attitudes are slowly changing towards it, at least a bit, as the cost of restaurant meals creeps steadily upwards. It bears repeating that dining out nowadays is an expensive experience, and sometimes all people want is the ability to leave the house and sit somewhere and have food made for them and perhaps have a drink or two. Im not suggesting it’s somewhere you’d go for a treat, but it fills a gap in the market.
    Clearly fills a gap. Wetherspoons has to be easily one of the most successful start-ups of the last thirty years or so. Astonishing level of business success for all the moaning.

    At least someone seems to know how to keep pub culture alive.
    I think they are more than 30 years old.
    Founded 1979, so 45.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 29,644
    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    tbh I only know it from Only Connect a few weeks back.
  • glwglw Posts: 10,254
    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,559
    pigeon said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination?
    And people wonder why there is a backlash.
    This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
    There used to be a thing called Hay Job Evaluation. Don't know if it is still used.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685
    Sauron's eye has now turned apparently to the US Small Business Administration (SBA).

    Millions of small businesses in JD Vance- ville , USA, are supported.

    This 'aint gonna end well for GOP in 2026.

    If there is a 2026 election.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 37,085
    glw said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
    Yup

    Trump is sitting at the front of the DLR with a toy steering wheel...
  • The time has surely come for a new electoral system. First past the post does not make any sense any more given the proliferation of parties.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,838

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173

    The time has surely come for a new electoral system. First past the post does not make any sense any more given the proliferation of parties.

    Unfortunately it always makes total sense to anyone who wins under it.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,559
    glw said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
    Most countries get nervous when their neighbours mass troops at the border. Trump calls it a win.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685
    Musk seems to be running the kind of show that Cummings wanted. A load of computer misfits and weirds and high functioning but just bonkers types are getting to run or indeed simply close down the federal government.

    I just cannot believe that Cummings isn't involved somehow here.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 33,182

    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.

    But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.

    (The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
    I think that is reflected in the polling. It's not that Reform are doing particularly well, it is that the other parties are doing so horrendously badly. So Farage being in or out of the news doesn't matter as much as perhaps it might under normal circumstances. What matters is that Starmer and Badenoch are doing so horrendously.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,838
    glw said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
    Mexico promising troops is as empty a gesture as you can get. They are a barely functioning state.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    Nigelb said:

    Canada and Denmark share a 1.2 km long land border on Hans Island since we ended the Whisky War in 2022.
    So technically we could join the European Union.

    https://x.com/CraigBaird/status/1886136938564030793

    Greenland left the EU in 1985 !

    It's an "overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union".

    I am not sure what that means.

    Good luck with getting Canada in the CAP.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 16,261
    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    Canada has never wanted to be incorporated into the US - not in the 1840s when there was a serious campaign in the US to invade its northern neighbour, and not now.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685

    tlg86 said:

    https://x.com/TomLarkinSky/status/1886489833771819418

    Tom Larkin
    @TomLarkinSky
    🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.

    Reform: 25% (+2)
    Lab: 24% (-3)
    Con: 21% (-1)
    LD: 14% (nc)
    Green: 9% (nc)

    Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.

    Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.

    But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.

    (The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
    I think that is reflected in the polling. It's not that Reform are doing particularly well, it is that the other parties are doing so horrendously badly. So Farage being in or out of the news doesn't matter as much as perhaps it might under normal circumstances. What matters is that Starmer and Badenoch are doing so horrendously.
    As ever John Harris is on the money as he continues to get the fuck out of Westminsters curry houses and bars and actually look at his own country in flux.


    Think Trumpism couldn’t take root and flourish in Britain? Think again

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/02/donald-trump-trumpism-britain-amazon-warehouse-staffordshire-strongman-leader
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,838

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Hmmmm...

    So you're saying there's a chance?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685

    glw said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
    Most countries get nervous when their neighbours mass troops at the border. Trump calls it a win.
    hasn't Trump massed a load of US military on their side of border in last few days.

    Looks like a stand-off to me.

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061
    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Hmmmm...

    So you're saying there's a chance?
    I was actually surprised by the 15% in Canada. Thought it would be less.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061

    Musk seems to be running the kind of show that Cummings wanted. A load of computer misfits and weirds and high functioning but just bonkers types are getting to run or indeed simply close down the federal government.

    I just cannot believe that Cummings isn't involved somehow here.

    In his dreams. He's a has been, and even then only briefly 'been' at all.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685
    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    "We don't need them for energy" - Trump

    See Sky's Ed Conway for a complete take down of that bollocks.

    Heavy oil vs light oil.



  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,559
    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,239
    TimS said:

    pigeon said:

    Ratters said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?

    People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
    The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
    As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
    CANDU ?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 18,060

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Permission to be slightly alarmed about those figures for the USA?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,195
    rcs1000 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Hmmmm...

    So you're saying there's a chance?
    So you're telling me there's a chance?
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,074
    MattW said:

    Nigelb said:

    Canada and Denmark share a 1.2 km long land border on Hans Island since we ended the Whisky War in 2022.
    So technically we could join the European Union.

    https://x.com/CraigBaird/status/1886136938564030793

    Greenland left the EU in 1985 !

    It's an "overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union".

    I am not sure what that means.

    Good luck with getting Canada in the CAP.
    There are three cases where a large territory left the EU: Algeria, Greenland and the UK.

    There have been two other withdrawals, one of which is also very close to Canada: Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Saint Barthélemy.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,195
    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    I would exclude both Quebec and Puerto Rico from my fantasy Anglospheric Federation. Let them go their own way.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    pigeon said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination?
    And people wonder why there is a backlash.
    This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
    We have case law since the 1970s about it, I think.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,976
    edited February 3
    James Baxter Derrington can go fxxx himself. He is telling Reeves to scrap Isas free status

    Cash savers don’t deserve tax breaks https://search.app/Sk32Lpn3h6D2Byqy6
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    Canada has never wanted to be incorporated into the US - not in the 1840s when there was a serious campaign in the US to invade its northern neighbour, and not now.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Polling on both Canada and Greenland, revealing largely predictable results.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061
    edited February 3
    Driver said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
    Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.

    It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.

    Here's one take on the anti-side.
    https://nitter.poast.org/allopatrol/status/1886457358316134476#m
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,559
    kle4 said:

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
    When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:

    A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King
    Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King


    Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    edited February 3

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    tbh I only know it from Only Connect a few weeks back.
    Heh. No more Jubilee Pancakes for 99p.

    My cousin the music teacher in a primary school used to sing it at me in the early 1990s to wind me up.

    I am currently getting my revenge via reference to her tautological dog the ShihT-Poo.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,685
    The end goal of the next four years is revealed.

    Nothing else, at the end of the day, will matter.


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    3h
    At this rate of achievement, not only should President @realDonaldTrump
    be on Mount Rushmore, I want to personally work the chisel!
  • OllyTOllyT Posts: 5,021
    Leon said:

    Trump is a huge Anglophile - his golf course etc

    Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English

    Vance is an old English surname

    We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home

    I think you are making a fundamental school boy error in believing what Trump and Musk are saying today. They could easily turn round tomorrow and threaten to invade us.
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,559
    kle4 said:

    Driver said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
    Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.

    It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.

    Here's one take on the anti-side.
    https://nitter.poast.org/allopatrol/status/1886457358316134476#m
    Yet another case of a court working backwards from its conclusions.

    The most result of this is likely to be it becoming much harder to fill warehouse jobs - I'd rather do a shopfloor job for the same money and it isn't close.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,724
    https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/asteroid-2024-yr4

    Sigh…

    One percent chance but it’s been that sort of a decade hasn’t it?
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 8,965

    pigeon said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination?
    And people wonder why there is a backlash.
    This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
    There used to be a thing called Hay Job Evaluation. Don't know if it is still used.
    I'm a qualified Hay evaluator. It was used in ICI long ago.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061

    The end goal of the next four years is revealed.

    Nothing else, at the end of the day, will matter.


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    3h
    At this rate of achievement, not only should President @realDonaldTrump
    be on Mount Rushmore, I want to personally work the chisel!

    Is it sadder if his lickspittle enthusiasm is feinged or if it is genuine?

    I did joke about Mount Rushmore yesterday, but I think Trump would genuinely like that, though he'd probably want it to be solo, and larger.

    Like this Futurama joke


  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    edited February 3
    Driver said:

    kle4 said:

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
    When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:

    A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King
    Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King


    Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
    There's actually a Grade II listed former Little Chef at Markham Moor near Retford on the A1, which has a roof which is a HYPERBOLIC PARABOLOID.

    It's now a coffee shack.

    Auto Shenanigans covered it:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t37SlUVM_28

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markham_Moor
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,724

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Permission to be slightly alarmed about those figures for the USA?
    I have a proposal. We could take them both. Everyone is happy.

    Might even let the Canadians vote. Less sure about the Yanks.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 6,724
    Driver said:

    kle4 said:

    MattW said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    maxh said:

    Can I defend Wetherspoon's please?

    As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.

    Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.

    Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
    The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
    There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.

    And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
    Pizza Hut?!
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
    McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
    Is that not the Yank version?

    The British one has Happy Eater in it.
    Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
    When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:

    A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King
    Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King


    Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
    Wait, hang on, Little Chef has gone? The number of times I stop at services and never noticed. That’s quite sad. I must have just stopped going…
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    biggles said:

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51505-most-canadians-many-americans-oppose-canada-joining-us

    Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
    USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
    Permission to be slightly alarmed about those figures for the USA?
    I have a proposal. We could take them both. Everyone is happy.

    Might even let the Canadians vote. Less sure about the Yanks.
    Maybe after they have learnt how to make tea?

    Hint - bulk mixing with harbour water is not awesome.
  • PhilPhil Posts: 2,507
    kle4 said:

    Driver said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
    Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.

    It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.

    Here's one take on the anti-side.
    https://nitter.poast.org/allopatrol/status/1886457358316134476#m
    We seem to have ended up with UK courts trying to apply a Marxist labour theory of value to the UK economy.

    Probably not what the framers of the original laws intended, but it does seem to be the inevitable outcome. Whether Labour is capable of recognising the damage this could do if left to run unchecked remains to be seen - I doubt it somehow, they’ll be hoping to muddle through & not have to do anything as divisive as repeal the Equality Act.

    Likely outcome: large companies are going to split off different parts of their operations into separate subsidiaries in order to prevent the UK courts making these kind of comparisons retrospectively & at great expense.
  • pigeonpigeon Posts: 5,173
    Driver said:

    kle4 said:

    Driver said:

    Taz said:

    Asda equal pay claim. Mainly upheld. Asda will appeal. Quite how they will pay for it given their current financial position remains to be seen.

    https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-03/historic-equal-pay-win-for-tens-of-thousands-of-asda-workers

    How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
    Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.

    It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.

    Here's one take on the anti-side.
    https://nitter.poast.org/allopatrol/status/1886457358316134476#m
    Yet another case of a court working backwards from its conclusions.

    The most result of this is likely to be it becoming much harder to fill warehouse jobs - I'd rather do a shopfloor job for the same money and it isn't close.
    Not so sure. You don't have to deal with customers in a warehouse.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,415
    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    (4) worked for England v Scotland in 1707. That, and mass bribery of the lairds.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 37,085
    @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social‬

    Three things that are all true:

    1) What Trump and Musk are doing is an unprecedented, authoritarian power grab

    2) Their methods are slapdash and hamfisted because they lack the muscle to act legislatively

    3) If the courts choose not to enforce the law, 2) won't matter — and 1) will succeed
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,239
    Turns out the AZN deal was blown over a mere £12m.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/03/astrazeneca-speke-expansion-chris-brtant-investment

    Bryant is a decent Parliamentarian, but Science Minister ? Please.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    (4) worked for England v Scotland in 1707. That, and mass bribery of the lairds.
    Any modern lairds up for a good bribing?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,161
    A wake up call for anyone who thinks that opponents of Trump are all good guys.

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886501169154957587

    r/WhitePeopleTwitter is now calling for the public execution of the DOGE software developers
  • MattWMattW Posts: 25,752
    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.

    Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 18,060

    The end goal of the next four years is revealed.

    Nothing else, at the end of the day, will matter.


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    3h
    At this rate of achievement, not only should President @realDonaldTrump
    be on Mount Rushmore, I want to personally work the chisel!

    "Work the chisel", you say?



  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,061
    MattW said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.

    Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
    The future is Mexican.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 30,584
    ...

    A wake up call for anyone who thinks that opponents of Trump are all good guys.

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886501169154957587

    r/WhitePeopleTwitter is now calling for the public execution of the DOGE software developers

    You'd make a crap Scooby Doo and Shaggy, You are believing the bad guy's dodgy alibis.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,285
    Nigelb said:

    Turns out the AZN deal was blown over a mere £12m.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/03/astrazeneca-speke-expansion-chris-brtant-investment

    Bryant is a decent Parliamentarian, but Science Minister ? Please.

    Not even a tenth of a percent of the cost of their mad carbon capture scheme.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 53,473
    kle4 said:

    MattW said:

    rcs1000 said:

    geoffw said:

      Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada

    Nor does Canada.

    Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.

    And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
    One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.

    Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
    The future is Mexican.
    Only through the cross border trade with the US.

    It's been noticed before, in the Drug War, that whenever the NAFTA deal gets into focus, Mexico City jumps.

    That's because the people who run the country, behind the scenes, make far more money of the border factories, than the drug cartels try to bribe them with.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 37,085
    @JenniferJJacobs

    @ElonMusk has a West Wing office, and is in the White House on an irregular basis, at times with his young son Lil X tagging along, sources told @weijia and me last week.
    As a special govt employee, he has credentials, including a PIV, or Personal Identity Verification card -- a badge federal employees are issued with their photo and agency. It's used at US Secret Service screening points as well as to log onto federal govt computers.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,285
    RobD said:

    Nigelb said:

    Turns out the AZN deal was blown over a mere £12m.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/03/astrazeneca-speke-expansion-chris-brtant-investment

    Bryant is a decent Parliamentarian, but Science Minister ? Please.

    Not even a tenth of a percent of the cost of their mad carbon capture scheme.
    Perhaps a milichagos?
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,838

    rcs1000 said:

    https://x.com/atrupar/status/1886489153187037643

    Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."

    I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.

    He wants to go down in history at achieving this.

    There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:

    (1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.

    (2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?

    (3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.

    (4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
    "We don't need them for energy" - Trump

    See Sky's Ed Conway for a complete take down of that bollocks.

    Heavy oil vs light oil.



    I made the same point DAYS before Ed Conway.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,161

    ...

    A wake up call for anyone who thinks that opponents of Trump are all good guys.

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886501169154957587

    r/WhitePeopleTwitter is now calling for the public execution of the DOGE software developers

    You'd make a crap Scooby Doo and Shaggy, You are believing the bad guy's dodgy alibis.
    There was someone who was definitely a genuine California liberal posting a photo of one of the DOGE team and saying he will be “popular in prison”.
This discussion has been closed.